uranium

American  

[yoo-rey-nee-uhm] / yʊˈreɪ ni əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a white, lustrous, radioactive, metallic element, occurring in pitchblende, and having compounds that are used in photography and in coloring glass. The 235 isotope is used in atomic and hydrogen bombs and as a fuel in nuclear reactors. U; 238.03; 92; 19.07.

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uranium British  

/ jʊˈreɪnɪəm /

noun

1. a radioactive silvery-white metallic element of the actinide series. It occurs in several minerals including pitchblende, carnotite, and autunite and is used chiefly as a source of nuclear energy by fission of the radioisotope uranium-235 . Symbol: U; atomic no: 92; atomic wt: 238.0289; half-life of most stable isotope, ²³⁸ U: 451 × 10 ⁹ years; valency: 2-6; relative density: 18.95 (approx.); melting pt: 1135°C; boiling pt: 4134°C

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uranium Scientific  

/ y-rā′nē-əm /

1. A heavy, silvery-white, highly toxic, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series. It has 14 known isotopes, of which U 238 is the most naturally abundant, occurring in several minerals. Fissionable isotopes, especially U 235, are used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Atomic number 92; atomic weight 238.03; melting point 1,132°C; boiling point 3,818°C; specific gravity 18.95; valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

2. See Periodic Table

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uranium Cultural  

1. A chemical element that is naturally radioactive. An isotope of uranium, uranium 235, is the main fuel for nuclear reactors and atomic bombs (see also atomic bomb). Its symbol is U. (See fission and chain reaction.)

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Etymology

Origin of uranium

From New Latin, dating back to 1790–1800; Uranus, -ium

Compare meaning

How does uranium compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• plutonium vs. uranium

Example Sentences

You can call cobalt a base metal, or stick it with uranium in special metals.

From Barron's

Part of the 190 tonnes of uranium that were on site in 1986 "melted, sank down into the reactor unit, the sub-reactor room, and still exists," he told AFP.

From Barron's

But tunneling appears to be increasing at Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz, which Iran in 2020 declared a site for building centrifuges, central to uranium enrichment.

From The Wall Street Journal

Amid the push to shore up the U.S. supply, the Interior Department recently expanded what the country considers critical minerals, including copper and uranium, for example.

From The Wall Street Journal

A ban on enriched uranium imports from the country was enshrined into law in May.

From BBC